July 17, 2011

Strawberry season is in full swing and one of the recipes in which the beloved berries shine is Strawberry ice cream flavored with balsamic vinegar from my one and only ice cream book Frozen Dessert by Caroline Liddell and Robin Weir. My version, which I have been making for a while, includes a few small adjustments to the original recipe.

My first attempt showed that I had not planned properly for the consequences of roasting juicy fruit. I spread the strawberries on a large baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and some juice ended up under the mat. Still, the ice cream I made with the roasted strawberries was good, so I made it again.

For my second try, I used a smaller baking sheet: the silicone baking mat came up on the sides and kept the juice contained. I also shortened the baking time to 30 minutes. I really liked the result, so for now this is going to be the main gelato di fragole at our house.

Ingredients:

18 oz. strawberries

1/2 cup ultrafine sugar, divided

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar of good quality

1/2 cup whipping/heavy cream (panna da montare), possibly organic

Wash strawberries and carve out stem. Place in a bowl, add 1/4 cup sugar and balsamic vinegar and toss gently but thoroughly. Heat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat that is wider and longer than the sheet, so no juice can escape from any side. Place strawberries on the sheet on a single layer. Use a spatula to clean the bowl so all the sugar and vinegar gets into the oven with the strawberries. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let strawberries cool slightly.

Spoon strawberries in the food processor and add the rest of the sugar (1/4 cup). Again here, use a spatula to made sure all the juice produced during the baking period is transferred into the food processor. Purée until smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

When ready, add the cream to the strawberry purée and stir well. Pour into the ice cream maker and churn until it has the consistency of gelato. Spoon into serving bowls and serve immediately.

After plating the ice cream, do not leave what is left over in the machine, but transfer it into a plastic container, cover the surface with wax paper, then put on the lid. Place in the freezer. Take out of the freezer half an hour or so before eating, so the gelato has time to soften.

Last minute update. The photo above is of early this morning and is not as good as the one at the top, but I decided to add it just before publishing the post to show how the color of this batch of the gelato is darker than of the previous due to the deeper red of the strawberries I used. When I churned this batch last night, it was too late to take a photo with natural light. This morning I let the frozen leftover gelato soften before photographing it, so you can also see a difference in the texture.

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Strawberry season is in full swing and one of the recipes in which the beloved berries shine is Strawberry ice cream flavored with balsamic vinegar from my one and only ice cream book Frozen Dessert by Caroline Liddell and Robin Weir. My version, which I have been making for a while, includes a few small adjustments to the original recipe.

My first attempt showed that I had not planned properly for the consequences of roasting juicy fruit. I spread the strawberries on a large baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and some juice ended up under the mat. Still, the ice cream I made with the roasted strawberries was good, so I made it again.

For my second try, I used a smaller baking sheet: the silicone baking mat came up on the sides and kept the juice contained. I also shortened the baking time to 30 minutes. I really liked the result, so for now this is going to be the main gelato di fragole at our house.

Ingredients:

18 oz. strawberries

1/2 cup ultrafine sugar, divided

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar of good quality

1/2 cup whipping/heavy cream (panna da montare), possibly organic

Wash strawberries and carve out stem. Place in a bowl, add 1/4 cup sugar and balsamic vinegar and toss gently but thoroughly. Heat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat that is wider and longer than the sheet, so no juice can escape from any side. Place strawberries on the sheet on a single layer. Use a spatula to clean the bowl so all the sugar and vinegar gets into the oven with the strawberries. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let strawberries cool slightly.

Spoon strawberries in the food processor and add the rest of the sugar (1/4 cup). Again here, use a spatula to made sure all the juice produced during the baking period is transferred into the food processor. Purée until smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

When ready, add the cream to the strawberry purée and stir well. Pour into the ice cream maker and churn until it has the consistency of gelato. Spoon into serving bowls and serve immediately.

After plating the ice cream, do not leave what is left over in the machine, but transfer it into a plastic container, cover the surface with wax paper, then put on the lid. Place in the freezer. Take out of the freezer half an hour or so before eating, so the gelato has time to soften.

Last minute update. The photo above is of early this morning and is not as good as the one at the top, but I decided to add it just before publishing the post to show how the color of this batch of the gelato is darker than of the previous due to the deeper red of the strawberries I used. When I churned this batch last night, it was too late to take a photo with natural light. This morning I let the frozen leftover gelato soften before photographing it, so you can also see a difference in the texture.

To use any of the photographs published in the blog permission must be obtained from Simona
No food was (nor will ever be) discarded in the process of taking the photographs, i.e., everything was consumed either immediately or in due time